The Winner in Honduras: Chávez

By ÁLVARO VARGAS LLOSA
Published: June 30, 2009

IN the weeks leading up to Honduras’s coup, President Manuel Zelaya, an ally of Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, knew what he was doing. In pushing the limits of democracy by trying to force a constitutional change that would permit his re-election, he set a trap for the military. The military fell for it, turning an unpopular president who was nearing the end of his term into an international cause célèbre.

Although the coup has popular support in Honduras, it has also allowed Mr. Chávez, who is leading the international response, to claim the moral high ground. The coup leaders, who were trying to prevent Mr. Chávez from bringing Honduras into his fold, may end up giving him more strength in the region.

Mr. Chávez quickly came out in support of Mr. Zelaya. He threatened Honduras with military action and went to Nicaragua, where a meeting of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, the Caracas-led alliance born as an alternative to the American-led Free Trade Area of the Americas, was the perfect opportunity to take charge of the Latin American pro-Zelaya effort.

The Organization of American States later condemned the coup (other Latin American governments followed suit) and its secretary general flew to Nicaragua, where a wider regional meeting was arranged. Mr. Chávez sent an airplane to fly Mr. Zelaya to that gathering, even welcoming him at the airport in Nicaragua’s capital, Managua.

Across the Spanish-language news media, the recurring image of the last two days has been that of Mr. Chávez and his allies working furiously for Honduran democracy. The United States’ more measured response, and the low-profile stance taken by some South American governments, have been lost amid the high-stakes campaign launched by Venezuela’s caudillo.

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NEW YORK TIMES: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/opinion/30Vargasllosa.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

like you, mr. Vargas Llosa.

Good riddance to the fellow travellers of neo-conservatism!

If I get this right, Llosa's argument can be boiled down to "Zelaya baited them to act like nazis, and they took the bait."

Additionally, not noted by Llosa, the military has assassinated Zelaya's closest leftist ally and heir apparent.

He's right, if they'd been a little smarter and a little subtler they may have gotten rid of Zelaya legally and without all the international uproar and outrage.

But he's wrong in that he seems to think it would be a good thing for the nazis to remain in power.

For more than 30 years he's been supporting fascist policies.

He was a Ronnie Reagan hardline supporter from the very first hour and has always been on the side of
the haves and the have-mores, as GWB would put it.

Llosa's piece would have to be putting forth the right's position persuasively such that the coup would be seen as a blow for peace and freedom. Instead, it's the equivalent of wishing the Japanese hadn't bombed Pearl Harbor because then the US wouldn't have entered the war and Hitler would rule Europe.

Chavez and his allies have indeed taken the forefront in defending democracy in Honduras--that kind of thing really makes the pigs tremble, since the New York Times crowd is a little too accostumed to the bad guys taking over without strong resistance. The fact that there is now a strong front to defend the progress (possibly limited as it may be, they remain steps in the right direction) made by the popular forces is a frightening prospect to the "paper of record" ideologues.

Well, let the bastard NYTimes crowd continue crying, and may there be infinitely more reasons created for their trembling hands and shrinking bank accounts.

That's why this right wing puke now needs to make that a bad thing.